Spanner wrench with workretaining loop



June 7, 1949. F. e. MILLER ETAL 2,472,716

SPANNER WRENCH WITH WORK-RETAINING LOOP Filed Feb. 27, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY.

June 7, 1949. F. e. MILLER ETAL SPANWR WRENCH WITH WORK-RETAINING LOOP 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 27, 1945 A TTORNE).

Patented June 7, 1949 SPANNER WRENCH WITH WOR RETAINING LOOP Frank G. Miller, Farmingdale, and Leslie S. Bogert, Richmond Hill, N. Y., assignors to Republic Aviation Corporation,

Farmingdalc,

N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application February 27, 1945, Serial No. 579,960

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a wrench of the spanner type designed to operate on the separable components or elements of a unitary structure or mechanism, whereby each component or element may be individually engaged by one of the present wrenches and be thereby manipulated or adjusted with respect to its complemental component or element for the assembly or dismantling of said unitary structure or mechanism.

Among its other objects the instant wrench proposes a tool, which, while primarily intended for the assembly or dismantling of the compoor elements of unitary structures or mecha nisms, such as, for example, an accumulator, may be employed to engage and manipulate relatively e structures of unusual shapes as distinghshed from the customary and standard elements usually engaged and manipulated by spanner wrenches.

This invention also contemplates a wrench which may be easily and quickly applied to or removed from the structure to be engaged and manipulated thereby, and yet have such a firm, strong and operative engagement therewith that the lifting, supporting and transportation thereof by and with the Wrench may be accomplished w'th nolikelihood of accidental or unintentional placement of the wrench from its cooperation with the engaged structure.

With the above and other objects in view, as will be apparent, this invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of all as hereinafter more fully described, claimed illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of one side of a Wrench constructed in accordance with the present invention;

2 is a similar view from the opposite side thereof;

Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal section through the wrench taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. i a section taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3 to illustrate the construction of the joint between the loop or engaging member of the wrench and its handle;

Fig. 5 i a perspective view of the filler which spaces and braces those portions of the loop or engaging member adjacent the handle to prevent distortion or bending thereof under operating conditions;

Fig. 6 is an edge elevation of a pair of wrenches con tructed in accordance with the present invention, each cooperating with one of the components or sections of an accumulator and Fig. '7 is a view at right angles to Fig. 6 to illustrate the relative cooperation of a pair of companion or complemental Wrenches in the assembly or dismantling of an accumulator.

While the present wrench may be of general application and use in the engagement and manipulation of elements or structures of large and unusual shapes, it is especially designed for the servicing of aircraft accumulators. These accumulators are frequently spherical in shape and are almost always relatively large and awkward to handle and customarily comprise a pair'of complementry sections or components which, in assembly or dismantling, must be relatively rotated to operate the interengaging' threads or other fastening means on the several sections by which the components are secured one to the other. Because of the size and hemi spherical of each of the sections or components of the accumulator, difficulty has been experienced in engaging and handling the two halves for the assembly and dismantling of the accumulator. Since accumulators require constant attention and service, the dif iculty of dismantling and the reassembly thereof becomes an ever present problem, for the solution of which no satisfactory tool adapted to engage each of said components for its manipulation have been heretofore provided.

Furthermore once the accumulator has been dismantled by the separation of its components or hemi-spherical halves no tool or means has heretofore been provided by which the accumulater section or half can be held, handled, transported, or otherwise manipulated. By providin a stable engagement between its handle and the engaged accumulator half, the instant invention in addition to functioning as a wrench in the as sembling or dismantling of the accumulator, also serves as a handle by which it can be readily and conveniently manipulated, handled or transported.

The present tool is designed especially for the purpose of engaging one hemi-spherical half of an accumulator so that, by the use of a pair of these tools or wrenches, the several components or sections of the accumulator may be individually engaged and be rotated relatively for assembly or dismantling of the accumulator.

Reference being had more particularly to the drawings, l0 designates the engaging member of the wrench which consists of a single unitary section of metal, either round or polygonal in cross section, bent into a loop which will, as hereinafter more fully described, circumscribe' anden gage over a section or half of the accumulator'to.

rest flush against the flange 30 thereof. The extremities III of this section of metal are positioned to lie in close juxtaposition, parallel one to the other whereby they constitute means by which a handle is secured to the engaging member or loop I 0.

Diametrically opposed to the terminals I is a lug II laterally projecting from and secured to the loop or engaging member I0 in any suitable manner, as, for example, by welding. This .lue II terminates in an angularly disposed gripping flange I2 positioned parallel to and spaced from the body of the loop or engaging member II). On the same face of the loop or engaging member III as that from which the lug II projects are secured a series of spaced, engaging pins I3. These pins I3 may be formed integrally with the loop or engaging member ID, or, as illustrated, be imbedded therein at their inner ends. In any event they are parallel one to the other and project from the surface of the loop III a distance approximately equal to the length of the lug H betweenthe'loop l0 and the engaging flange I2.

A handle I4, having a hollow inner end portion I5,.cooperates with the ends Ill of the loop I0 by the embracing and engagement thereof within said end portion- I 5. The inner end I5 of the handle'ispermanently secured to the extremitie Ill of the loop or engagin member II] in any suitable manner, preferably by welding. When the extremities II) of the loop or engaging member Ill arereceived in andsecured to the end section I5 of the handle I4, the loop in and the handle I4 become, to all intents and purposes, a single unitaryrstructure. To brace the loop or engaging memberIIJ, where it joins the handle I4, a filler ti'isinserted between the reversely curved portrons I U" of the loop-or engaging member adjoining the handle I4. This filler has a comparativelywide end II so curved that, when in its operati-ve position, it forms an accurate continuation-- of the inside curvature of the loop or engaging member I0. As the flller I6 is generally trapezoidal-in shape, its sides I8 converge toward the endsIO' of the loop as well as toward the handle II. -Since the portions IQ of the loop curve there, a slight separationis present between the sides .IBof the filler and the portions Ill" of the loop, particularly adjoining the curved end I! of the filler. The spaces thus occurring between the 4 filler-I6 and the portions ID" of the loop are filled by the-metal IQ of the weld by which the filler is secured within the crotch of the loop. Thus the tiller I I-is permanently secured to the loop I0 and becomes substantially an integral and continuing part'thereof and so braces its juncture with the handle I4 that any tendency to bend or distort under the strain of use is overcome and prevented.

To cooperate with the grippin flange I2 of the lug I I in the attachment of the wrench to an accumulator section or half, as will be described, a sliding latch or movable gripping member 20 is mounted on the section I 5 of the handle I4 in opposition to the lug II. This latch at One of its ends is providedwith a transverse enlargement 2| toxbear against the adjoinin surface of the section I5'of the handle and to space the body of the latch. from the handle a distance substantially equal to the spacing of the gripping flange I2 from the loop or engaging member ID. The end of thelatch 20, having the enlargement 2 I, is also provided with a laterally projecting pin 22 which projects into and through a slot 23 formed in one sidero'fathe. .section1l5 of the handle I4. A bolt 24 pierces and projects from the latch parallel to the pin 23 to operate not only in the slot 23 of the handle, but also in a companion and registering slot 25 in the opposite side of the section I5 of the handle to the slot 23. The outer and projecting extremityof this.-bolt is provided with a wing nut :26 which can be tightened to fix the latch 20 in its adjusted position with respect to .the handle and to the loop I0. To accommodate the .bolt 24.the filler I 6 is also provided with a slot-21 which, when the filler is permanently secured in its operative position, as shown in Fig. 4, registers withtheslots 23 and 25 in the handle. This permits-the; sliding adjustment of the latch '20 toward or away from the loop or engaging member I'll after the loosenin of the wing nut 26.

The latch-.20 is transversely enlarged at its inner end to create a relatively wide head 28 for engagement over the flange of the accumulator, as will be described.

In Figs. 6 and "I. is'illustrated a pair of the present-wrenchesin usefor-the assembly or dismantling ofanaecumulator. Thi accumulator comprisestwo hemi-spherical halves 29 each of which is provided with'anoutstanding flange 30 adjacent-the ultimate seambetween the halves, where the hemi-spherical halves are threaded one into theotherpr are otherwise interengaged. These flanges 30 are perforated bye series of openings equal in numberto thepins 'I3 and spaced one from'the other'in-agreement-with the spacing of saidpins.

To-engage one half 29 of the accumulator, the wing nut 26 of-a-wrench, constructed in accordance with the present invention, is loosened whereby the latch 20 may be moved rearwardly along-theesection -I5of the handle I4 in a direction-away from-the loop or engaging member ID. The lug II is then placed over the edge of the flange 30'of the accumulator half 29 thereby positioning its gripping'flange I2 against the outer face of theflange and securing that portion of the flange in-between the gripping flange I2 and theengagingmember or loop I0. By swinging thetool toward the flange 30 about the lu I I the loop orengaging member ID is moved to rest flush against-the inner surface of the flange 3B and the pins lfl of the'loop'are projected into the corresponding openings in the flange. With the loop Ill so positioned the latch'20 can be moved forwardly so'thatits'head 28 overlies the flange 30, at apoint diametrically opposed to the lug I I and its gripping-flange I2. The tightening of the wing nut "26 then locksthe latch '20 against movement with its head 28 resting over and bearing against theflangei30 whereby-the latter is clamped between .said head 28 and the loop or engaging member II] as well as between the loop I0 and the grippin flange I2 diametrically opposed to the latch 20. Thus the present wrench is lockingly but releasably attached to one half 29 of the accumulator and can not be removed without first looseningthe-wing nut 26 and moving the latch 20'outwardly'of the'end portion I5 of the handle I4 from the engagement of its head 28 over the flange 30. An identical wrench is similarly attached to the opposite half 29 of the accumulator.

When the two identical wrenches are attached to the sections of the accumulator, as aforesaid, thehandlesM of both wrenches may be gripped and moved relatively in opposite directions thereby rotating the halves 29 of the accumulator relatively. .In thismanner the accumulator can be dismantled-withreach'half locklngly engaged by 7 one of the'wrenches. =When it is desired to leas semble the accumulator each of its halves or sections 29 is lockingly engaged by a wrench, whereupon they may be placed in cooperating position and relatively rotated to cause interengagement of their attaching means and the final assembly of the accumulator. The wrenches may then be removed. So long as a wrench is attached to a section 29 of an accumulator, its handle [4 constitutes a handle by which the section may be manipulated, handled or transported.

While the present invention is particularly designed for the assembly or dismantling of an accumulator as aforesaid, it may, by slight modifications and changes, be adapted to engage any comparative structure without departure from the spirit and scope hereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A spanner wrench comprising an engaging member consisting of a section of metal bent upon itself to form a loop having reverse bends adjacent its extremities thereby positioning its end portions in parallel juxtaposition, a hollow handle longitudinally slotted at one end and adapted for the reception and permanent attachment of said end portions of the loop, a filler interposed between and secured to the reverse bends aforesaid, one edge of said filler being curved to form an uninterrupted continuation of the inner edge of the loop, a latch mounted for sliding movement on the handle adjacent the engaging member, a pin attached to said latch and mounted for reciprocation in the slots of the handle whereby the latch may be removably projected over said filler, a lug affixed to and projecting transversely from said engaging member in diametrical opposition to said latch, a flange angularly disposed at the end of said lug to rest over and parallel to said engaging member, a series of spaced pins projecting from one face of the engaging members, and means for releasably locking the latch in its adjusted positions.

2. A spanner wrench comprising an engaging member consisting of a section of metal bent upon itself to form a loop having reverse bends adjacent its extremities thereby positioning its end portions in parallel juxtaposition, a hollow handle longitudinally slotted at one end and adapted for the reception and permanent attachment of said end portions of the loop, a filler interposed between and secured to the reverse bends aforesaid, one edge of said filler being curved to form an uninterrupted continuation of the inner edge of the loop, a latch mounted for sliding movement on the handle adjacent the engaging member, an enlargement at one end of said latch bearing on the handle to space the opposite end of the latch from the handle and the engaging member, a pin projecting from said enlargement to reciprocate in the slotted end of the handle whereby the spaced end of the latch may be removably projected over said filler, a lug projecting laterally from the engaging member in opposition to said latch, a flange angularly disposed to said lug to rest parallel to one face of the engaging member and to be spaced therefrom by the lug a distance substantially equal to the distance of the spaced end of the latch from the handle and filler, a series of spaced pins projecting from the engaging member in the direction of the lug, and means for fixing the latch against movement.

3. A spanner wrench consisting of an engaging member formed from a strip of metal medially bent to create a loop with the terminals of said strip extending outwardly from the loop as a continuation of a diameter thereof, a filler interposed between and secured to said terminals adjacent the loop, a latch slidably associated with said terminals and filler for adjustment relative to said member, means for securing said latch against movement in its adjusted position, and 2. lug immovably afiixed to the engaging member in diametrical opposition to the latch.

FRANK G. MILLER. LESLIE S. BOGERT.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenlces are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 972,091 Baguley Oct. 4, 1910 1,076,565 Duffy Qct. 21, 1913 1,209,012 OBrien Dec. 19, 1916 1,594,072 Schadeck July 27, 1926 1,912,975 Elster June 6, 1933 1,930,859 Munro Oct. 17, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 489,052 France Aug. 20, 1918 

